Improved batteries are a huge deal, so naturally there's a lot of coverage and interest.

Out of the large number of candidates, some will be successful. IBM is certainly a reputable R&D company, so this announcement has more substance than most.

I'm also optimistic about the new Goodenough battery design, with its non-flammable solid electrolyte and a version replacing lithium with sodium.

One thing that did occur to me while reading this article is that if a "five minute 80% charge" is possible, for a 70 KWH battery pack that would involve a 672 KW rate, not accounting for losses. That's a whole lot of power!

A 1 GW powerplant could support charging less than 1500 cars simultaneously at that rate...